Windows 7 vs. Ubuntu 9.10 - Good and bad

Over the past few days I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the differences between Microsoft’s latest Windows 7 and Canonical’s Ubuntu 9.10. Specifically, I’ve been thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of each of the operating systems. Is a free operating system really as good as one that you pay for?

Let’s take a look at several aspects of using operating systems and examine the various strengths and weaknesses of each OS here : computer news: Windows 7 vs. Ubuntu 9.10 - Good and bad

Only thing I'll disagree with here is the part about media. I've never had an issue playing a DVD, and I've never had to do anything even remotely illegal. Yes you will have to download codecs, and there is nothing about those codecs that makes them legal on Windows but not on Linux. I'me sure the pinheads at Microsoft would like the masses to believe that, but it's just not the case.

I couldn't imagine if that media transparency and neutrality didn't exist. On the back of each DVD case you may start to see FBI warning: Playing this DVD on X/Y/Z brand DVD player is unlawful and punishable by$500,000 fine and up to 5 years in Microsoft international tech support calling center.

The FCC is attempting to guarantee that we have the same transparency on the internet as a whole communication medium, but some, not all ISPs are trying to paint Net neutrality as the big bad wolf coming to eat grandma. The other ISPs are quietly sitting on the side lines.

If net nutrality isn't passed, this is what Verizon's website will look like if AT&T is your ISP:

404 Not found
The page you a loading
is blocked because it's belongs
to a direct competitor of your ISP,
Please contact your representative
and thank them for not enacting
Net neutrality.

Originally Posted by djarrum

Only thing I'll disagree with here is the part about media. I've never had an issue playing a DVD, and I've never had to do anything even remotely illegal. Yes you will have to download codecs, and there is nothing about those codecs that makes them legal on Windows but not on Linux. I'me sure the pinheads at Microsoft would like the masses to believe that, but it's just not the case.

why aren't these codecs included in Ubuntu 9.10 ?

Originally Posted by ickymay

why aren't these codecs included in Ubuntu 9.10 ?

I can't think of a windows installation i've done that didn't require downloading and adding some codecs. Klite or CCC.

Originally Posted by ickymay

why aren't these codecs included in Ubuntu 9.10 ?

Beats me. all I know is that once you pull them from the repository, they get updated as soon as revisions are released. In fact 9.10 may include them, I haven't yet installed 9.10 from scratch to know for sure. What I do know for sure is that it's not really that difficult. I think in the original post, the author of the linked article or blog misunderstood the term "restricted" with respect to these codecs. I could be wrong but they are referred to by the Linux community as restricted because they do not fall under GPL, and as such support for them is is determined by their creators, not the open source community.